Another A/C question - leaks drips?

[VacantlyOccupied]

Help a clueless person out, please.

There is what appears to be a drain hole under the overhang of my roof above the A/C unit outside. My in-laws were over yesterday and mentioned that it was dripping pretty steadily and that the something-or-another (I wasn't really listening) might be clogged.

I go outside today and it is dripping a lot. I guess it's condensation that should be running somewhere else maybe? Could the fact that I'm painting this weekend and have had windows open in the front of the house and the A/C blasting to keep the rest of the house cool the last two days have something to do with it?

Any ideas are appreciated - I'd hate to have to call my father-in-law back two days later just to say "Uhhhh....what did you say again?"

 

[cmvUT75]

In reply to:

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[Longhorn_Fan68]

Yeah, it sounds like it is doing what it is supposed to do. The condensate should be draining outside rather than inside.

 

[VacantlyOccupied]

That's what I was hoping for. I know it's been working overtime to contend with open windows, and since I closed 'em last night I've been hoping to go home and find things operating more normally.

 

[ArrogantAssclown]

I thought the main condensation line was connected to the house plumbing(bathroom sink drain) or such and that the outside drain was for overflow or a clogged main line.

I know when the new air coditioner was installed last year last year I became worried because I did not see the constrant drainage from the outside drain. Installler said main drain was other line that ran down into the guest bathroom. At least I hope that is correct.

 

[bikerack]

yeah, our brand new home's condensor box drains into the plumbing system. there is a drain hole a couple inches up the box that pours into the big "emergency" drain pan. that big drain pan flows out the side of the house.

you may have a clogged pipe running from the consensor and it is filling the bigger pan...which is draining outside. it is working fine right now, but if that second pan ever clogs, it will fill and start dripping onto your ceiling.

i have been told by a couple of people that i should pour about 1/4 cup of bleach down the pipe running from the consensor (luckily, i have a vent pipe coming up from the drain pipe) a couple of times per year to kill anything that may be growing in there and could clog up the works.

 

[hollisdude]

I hate to tell you this - but you have a problem that you need to fix immediately.

From the AC condensing unit - there are two things:
1. a 2 inch drain pipe that runs into a larger drain line which is your plumbing system. The condensation should be dripping into that main line.
2. a drain pan underneath the condesning unit that catches the water when #1 above is plugged or stopped up. This drain pan has a small 1/2 or 3/4 inch pvc line that runs across your attic and exits in the soffitt - where it drips onto the ground.

Here's the problem though. If you let the water stay in your drain pan and drain outside - eventually the crud will stop up that drain line and voila! you will have water coming through your ceiling sheetrock.

You need to fix #1 above. Unstop or unplug whatever it is that is keeping the water from going into your plumbing system. The water should never drain outside from the drain pan ... and if it does, you have a problem.

I know all this from the first hand experience of having my ceiling ruined from this water.

 

[VacantlyOccupied]

Okay, the last few posts above seem to be correct. The pan underneath the unit in the attic has some water in it, and water is visible when I look down the vent pipe on the main drainpipe, which does in fact go to the plumbing.

The problem is that I can't get to much of it very well. I'm thinking of either snaking a wire down the vent to see what I can unclog, or pouring something down there. Or, since the pipe runs right across the open crawlspace in the attic, I'm even considering cutting the damn thing right there where I can get to it, clearing the clog, and then gluing it back again.

The fact that there's water in the pan bothers me also - if the secondary drain is working properly, should there be water in the pan at all?

 

[horn4life]

If you can see the MAIN drain line then you can run a narrow line down it to lear it and then follow up with some bleach. You can find a thin wire to shove down the main line in the plumbing department to clear the line. Then follow up with some bleach.

Hell just be damn glad you have the secondary drain. I assume it comes out somewhere on the front of the hours to grab your attention.

I sure as hell wouldn't advise cutting the line, would try and shove tubing down it and try suing something like "Dust off" (basically air in a can) to try and Blow out the blockage which is probably soft anyhow.

Though I must say I have been warned not to place my mouth on thes pipes and blow them out (though I have done this) as you can apparently perhaps get legioinairre's disease from the pipes.

 

[Rip76]

HOLLISDUDE.... Is completely correct....

Blow out the line, and then run some bleach through it....